"Accessible, easy reading but not simplistic that fuels an informative and sad story. There is so much tragedy layered over the years. Ms. Sullivan explores each element with gentleness but without hiding the harsh truths. An atmospheric story that stuns and impresses. "

" Isolation. Grief. Secrets. Choices...

Wild Dark Shore is set on Shearwater Island, a research station and the world’s largest seed bank, between Tasmania and Antarctica. With sea levels rising, the research has ended, and it feels like the island is sinking.

Dominic Salt and his three children are the island's final caretakers. They seem broken, yet loving and committed to one another. Then, during a violent storm, a mysterious woman washes ashore, who also appears broken...

Wild Dark Shore is a contrast of emotions. It is beautiful and moving, surrounded by the island's lush vegetation, sea life, and each character's innate love of nature. Yet it is horrifying and gripping concerning the progressively dangerous storms and the churning, rising ocean. The atmosphere feels peaceful and welcoming, while becoming increasingly threatening and dangerous.

As an immersion read, I am mesmerized by McConaghy's gorgeous prose and storytelling. The audiobook's multicast narrations bring the characters to life and deliver unique and emotional recountings in shifting perspectives. The audiobook is an unforgettable experience and my preferred format.

Wild Dark Shore is the first book I have read by McConaghy, and I wonder why I waited so long to experience her talent. This story was a layered, complex, and visual experience from beginning to end.

5��

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Charlotte McConaghy for the gifted ALC through NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review."

"I feel sunburnt and tired �� like I spent days at sea �� yet only ventured within the pages of this classic. Hemingway certainly knew how to paint a vivid picture with the bare minimum of words.

“Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.��

The Old Man and the Sea possesses a timeless, universal quality - which is probably why people are still devouring it. The plot is simple �� an old man goes fishing. He is considered salao �� the worst form of unlucky and hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days. There’s a boy, Manolin, who helps him, despite now working on a different fishing boat. And there’s a large marlin.

I admired Hemingway’s ability to cast well-developed characters with minimal words. I enjoyed the old man’s heartwarming relationship with the boy, and the deep, spiritual connection shared with the marlin �� a strong character itself.

“Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother.��

It’s a quick read, yet one I took my time with. There’s a hypnotic simplicity in the prose. Hemingway transported me onto that small skiff with the old man - practically tasting the salt air and disappointment. Scenes on land were just as effective �� like I was dropped into the shack, talking baseball with the old man.

“Once there had been a tinted photograph of his wife on the wall but he had taken it down because it made him too lonely to see it and it was on the shelf in the corner under his clean shirt.��

There was much happening beneath the surface. It’s a story which demands reading on multiple levels. The more I reflected, the more layers I found. Perhaps that’s the joy of art �� it’s open to interpretation. Knowing where Hemingway’s life and career were at while writing this added further poignancy and symbolism which enhanced my enjoyment of the story. You can’t help but think he could be writing about himself.

It gets you reflecting on life �� the marlins and sharks and lions. For such a fleeting story, it continues to have a remarkable impact. I enjoyed my time with the old man, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Hemingway's work.

“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.�� "